"It's Wonderful (To Be Loved by You)" is a song by American soul singer

Jimmy Ruffin Jimmy Lee RuffinRibowsky, Mark (2010), ''Ain't Too Proud to Beg: The Troubled Lives and Enduring Soul of the Temptations'', Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, p. 89. . (May 7, 1936 – November 17, 2014) was an American soul singer, and ...

, released as a single in October 1970, taken from his 1969 album ''Ruff'n Ready''.

Release

"It's Wonderful (To Be Loved by You)" was recorded in January 1968 at Motown's

Hitsville U.S.A. "Hitsville U.S.A." is the nickname given to Motown's first headquarters and recording studio. The house (formerly a photographers' studio) is located at 2648 West Grand Boulevard in Detroit, Michigan, near the New Center area. The house was purch ...

studio. The single wasn't released in the US, where Ruffin had declined in popularity since his 1966 top-ten hit "

What Becomes of the Brokenhearted "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" is a hit single recorded by Jimmy Ruffin and released on Motown Records' Soul label in the summer of 1966. It is a ballad, with lead singer Jimmy Ruffin recalling the pain that befalls the broken-hearted who h ...

", in part due to a lack of promotion and becoming seemingly unwanted by

Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...

in the US. However, in the UK prior to this release, Ruffin had had two top-ten re-released singles, " Farewell Is a Lonely Sound" and " I'll Say Forever My Love". "It's Wonderful (To Be Loved by You)" charted higher than both of them, peaking at number 6 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. Yet, Motown were uninterested by this and in the end Ruffin left the label and moved to the UK. The B-side, "Maria (You Were the Only One)", also known for being covered by

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

on his debut solo album ''

Got to Be There ''Got to Be There'' is the debut solo studio album by American singer Michael Jackson, released by Motown on January 24, 1972, four weeks after the Jackson 5's ''Greatest Hits (The Jackson 5 album), Greatest Hits'' (1971). It includes the Got to ...

'', was recorded in January 1970 and included on Ruffin's album ''The Groove Governor''. It was released as a single in the US at the end of 1970 and charted on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. In Germany and the Netherlands, where both "It's Wonderful (To Be Loved by You)" and "Maria (You Were the Only One)" were released as singles, "It's Wonderful (To Be Loved by You)" had a different B-side, "Love Gives, Love Takes Away".

Track listings

7" # "It's Wonderful (To Be Loved by You)" – 2:43 # "Maria (You Were The Only One)" – 2:56 7" (Germany and Netherlands) # "It's Wonderful (To Be Loved by You)" – 2:43 # "Love Gives, Love Takes Away" – 2:58

Charts

References

{{David Ruffin 1969 songs 1970 singles Songs written by James Dean (songwriter)